PrepNow Tutor - Mina K.
A tutor passionate about helping students grow through personalized instruction, Mina holds a BS in developmental psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is pursuing her OTD from Rush University. Since graduating from college, Mina has worked as a special education paraprofessional in a Functional Life Skills class for grades 3 through 5, an inclusion counselor at her local YMCA, and a tutor. “Drawing on my personal experiences as a person with disabilities, I always strive to promote an accommodating atmosphere that is inclusive of everyone,” Mina says.
“I have been unofficially tutoring for as long as I can remember, even going so far as to learn content from classes that my friends were taking just to help them better understand the material,” Mina shares. She started tutoring professionally through a family friend who recognized her ability to teach in a digestible manner. Since then, she has worked with students on ESL, middle school and high school math and science, and math and English SPED tutoring. In math, she has tutored algebra I & II, geometry, and pre-calculus. Mina’s favorite part of tutoring is seeing the positive effect she has on families. “A mother of a student I work with was initially extremely anxious and stressed about her daughter's performance in school, but over time, she became much more relaxed after seeing her daughter's progress,” Mina reflects. “Seeing the hard efforts I put in to transform the lives of others gives me the greatest pride in what I do.”
Mina’s teaching style is strengths-based and student-centered, exploring many different avenues of teaching through the use of visual aids, manipulatives, games, and more. “My teaching tests the strengths of the student using trial and error and homes in on the student's specific needs,” Mina says. Her approach is influenced by her own experiences as an individual with disabilities, as well as her professional experience. “I build upon my pre-existing knowledge and students' personal factors to create a logical plan that considers the difficulties and strengths of each student,” Mina explains. “Seeing as no two brains are identical, I believe that each student is deserving of a unique approach that prioritizes their lived experiences and learning abilities.” Mina is particularly enthusiastic about working with individuals with disabilities and helping them explore different avenues of learning that work best for their brains.
In high school, Mina participated in cross country and track/pole vault, and was the president of the Girls Who Code chapter, a National Merit Scholar Finalist; furthermore, she was a member of the U.S. branch of the Mensa Society, American Mensa, for scoring in the top 2% on IQ testing. In college, she was the president of the Christian Student Healthcare Association, a member of a non-profit organization that provided free music education to local students at middle schools, and conducted research at the Infant Cognition Lab under Alumni Distinguished Psychology Professor Renée Baillargeon. She loves to DIY almost anything, and her interests include minor car repairs, home renovation, sewing, knitting/crocheting, and more. She is always interested in learning new skills. “I can speak four languages!”
|